Destiny
by JustMeReally
Summary: How Maddy and Rhydian deal with the return of Alric, keeping wolfbloods secret and raising their ..
1. The Return Of Alric

Maddy laughed as she watched her 8 year old daughter dart round the forest squealing.

It hadn't really taken her and Rhydian that long after they left school, to realise they loved each other so much more than friends. Now here they were happily married with a child.

Tom and Shannon lived in a cottage just down the road from then. Both claimed they weren't together, but Maddy and Rhydian were taking bets as to when they would finally admit otherwise.

Stoneybridge had become quieter; now Shannon had grown up and given up on her fantasies involving the moors. Jimi took over his Father's business at the butchers while the three K's all moved away a.s.a.p to 'discover themselves'.

Daniel and Emma still lived in the same house, and Maddy loved the fact her daughter could visit her grandparents whenever she needed to.

Safe to say, at the moment, life was good.

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"Come on Destiny, it's time to go" Maddy called, standing and brushing off her jeans.  
The 8 year old skidded to a halt beside her Mother with a big grin.  
"Can we come back tomorrow? With Daddy too?"  
Maddy smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind Destiny's ear.  
"We'll see" was all she said.

The pair made their way back through the forest hand in hand.  
Maddy watched her daughter as she skipped happily down the paths, glad her cub was happy.  
Sure Daniel and Emma were great parents to Maddy, but she'd always felt enclosed, hidden from reality and the prospect of growing up.

While she was reminiscing, Maddy was unaware that Destiny had stopped, and was glancing round with a frantic look on her face.

"What is it?" Maddy demanded, her tone gentle yet firm as she crouched beside the infant.  
"Someone's here Mummy, I can feel it"  
Maddy stood straight, and brushed the hair from her ear, so as to tune in to the sounds around them.

A twig snapped to their left, and Maddy instantly grabbed Destiny, entwining their hands.  
After a pause, came the rustle of leaves and the sound of growling.  
Destiny whimpered from behind her Mother, and Maddy snarled in the direction of the sound.

"You certainly are a brave one"  
Maddy gritted her teeth at the sound of the familiar voice.  
"Why are you here Alric? This is our territory" she spat, edging backwards as he came into view flanked by several others.  
"For a tame one you sure are feisty" he teased, earning laughs from his fellow pack members.

Destiny craned her neck to look at the man stood before them.  
Alric caught sight of her and his lips twisted into a smile.  
"Well well, a cub of your own now I see?"  
Maddy growled, edging further back with Destiny.

"Don't worry, I won't take her like you took my Jana" Alric said grimly  
"Jana ran away from you, you were no Father to her!" Maddy cried  
The man roared, his eyes turning yellow.  
Destiny stumbled back, frightened.  
"How dare you! Jana was my daughter!"  
"Then why'd you banish her? Force her to go on the run?"  
"No-one forced her" Alric snarled  
Maddy rolled her eyes; Jana had been happy when they were younger, finally accepted at school and living in the caravan at ease. But after a few years, they came for her and she had no choice but to run. Neither Maddy nor Rhydian had seen her since.

"Why are you here?" Maddy asked again after a pause "What do you want?"  
"We were just passing" Alric replied airily "Now and again, a few of us come and check on the caravan, to see if my daughter has returned"  
Maddy crossed her arms "I would've smelt ya"  
Alric laughed "We wild wolfbloods carry a different odour"  
"Yeah" Maddy scoffed "A more revolting one"

He growled, louder this time and took a step forward.  
"Just go" Maddy ordered, hearing Destiny whimpering behind her "And don't cross the territory line again. Jana isn't coming back, you made sure of that when you banished her all them years ago"  
Alric clenched his fists, but turned and took off back into the trees with his pack.

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Destiny walked silently beside her Mother for the rest of the way home, the urge to skip long gone.  
"He didn't seem very friendly Mummy" she said finally.  
Maddy stopped and crouched down to her level.  
"Some people are good, like me and Daddy and Aunty Shannon and Uncle Tom...Then some are bad, like Alric"  
"The man?"  
"Yes. Destiny you have to promise me now, if you ever see him around here again you'll tell me or Daddy straight away. You promise?"  
The girl nodded and they resumed their walk home.

"Good day?" Rhydian called out, hearing his wife and daughter come in.  
Destiny ran at him and he lifted her easily onto his hip. Maddy stayed in the doorway, leaning against the frame.  
"You okay?" Rhydian frowned staring at the worried look appearing on her face.  
'Later' she mouthed, wandering to the sink for a glass of water.

Destiny wriggled to the floor and rushed off to her bedroom.  
Rhydian wound round the sofa and stopped in front of Maddy.  
"Or you can tell me now"  
She sighed, dumping the glass on the sideboard.  
"Alric" she said simply "We bumped into him on the way home"  
"What!?" Rhydian cried, panic and fury rising in him.  
Maddy pushed herself from the counter where she'd been leaning, and placed her hands on his shoulders.  
"We're fine though aren't we" she assured calmly.  
"Well what did he want?" Rhydian demanded, stepping back and beginning to pace up and down.  
"Jana" Maddy sighed.  
Rhydian stopped and spun to face her as she continued  
"Apparently he and his pack go to the caravan regularly to check for her"  
Leaving him to process this, she left to put Destiny to bed.

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"So what did you say?" Rhydian asked later that night, when he and Maddy were curled up watching TV. "When Alric told you what he'd been doing?"  
"What makes you think I said anything?" Maddy questioned, lifting herself up to face him.  
Rhydian chuckled "It's you Maddy, of course you said something"  
She smirked "Maybe I told him never to come into our territory again, and maybe I gave him a few home truths..."  
Rhydian shook his head smiling as she settled back down with her head on his lap.

A few hours later, Rhydian looked down to see Maddy fast asleep.  
Resisting the urge to laugh, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before easing himself up to check on Destiny.

As he passed the window, he looked out at the moon. If Alric dared come back again. He'd be ready. 


	2. Keeping It Normal

"And you're sure it was Alric?"  
"Tom I spoke to him" Maddy sighed stirring her coffee.

The pair were sat in Burnies along with Shannon, trying to ward of the cold weather with hot drinks.

"Rhydian's taken Destiny to school, it took some persuading but we have to try and keep things as normal for her as possible"  
Shannon nodded "I bet she was terrified yesterday"  
Maddy sat back, abandoning her coffee.  
"It was horrible Shan, all I wanted to do was get her away from him, but..."  
"But what?" Tom pushed.  
"It's like, I'm drawn to him in some way" Maddy finished "Forget it it's stupid"

Shannon frowned "Drawn how? Romantically?"  
"No! Definately not, I love Rhydian" Maddy groaned, frustrated by the confusion of it all.

They finished their drinks and stood.  
"You want us to walk you home?" Tom questioned once they were outside  
Maddy shook her head "Nah, I'll be fine. See you's later"  
She waved and took off up the hill.

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"Mummy!"  
Maddy looked up in surprise as Destiny came charging at her from the living room.  
"Hey you" she greeted picking her up "What're you doing home?"  
"Daddy said I looked peaky" the girl said with a frown as Maddy placed her gently back on her feet.

"Rhydian?" she called wandering through to the kitchen.  
He came jogging down the stairs, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.  
"Destiny? Go to your room for a few minutes darling I need to talk to Daddy"  
She darted off down the hallway; Maddy waited till she heard the door shut before turning to her husband.

"I thought we agreed!"  
"I know, I just...I Couldn't leave her there" he replied feebly  
Maddy sighed "Rhydian, it's better for her if everything stays normal, Alric isn't coming back!"  
"You don't know that!"  
He slumped onto the sofa, placing his head in his hands.  
"I tried, said goodbye, watched her run over to her friends. But then I kept thinking. What if he comes? What if he's already watching? And I couldn't let her go."

Maddy sat beside him and silently took his hand.  
"You're turning into my Dad" she said after a while "Stubborn. And Overprotective"  
Rhydian smiled weakly as Maddy squeezed his hand.  
"Tomorrow-"  
"She goes to school I know" he sighed leaning back into the cushions.

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"That was Tom" Maddy said placing the phone back in its holder as she turned to Rhydian.  
"Everything okay?"  
"Something to do with lifting a bookcase?"  
Rhydian closed his eyes "Ah I was meant to help him get it to Shannon's room. Totally forgot"  
"I've told him you're on your way" Maddy laughed, lightly kissing his cheek as he ran from the house.

"Sorry again for, you know"  
"Forgetting?" Tom finished with a smirk "Nah no worries, it's done now anyway"  
Rhydian nodded and turned to make his way home.  
"So Mads said Destiny didn't go to school today?"

Rhydian sighed and faced his friend.  
"She's pretty mad about it" he admitted bowing his head "It's like she doesn't understand!"  
"Not how it seemed at Burnies this morning. It was really bugging her"  
Rhydian frowned "Like how?"  
"Maybe you should ask her, it's not really my place" Tom backtracked pulling the front door open "Thanks again for the help though"  
Rhydian nodded and began jogging back up the hill for home.

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"All sorted?" Maddy questioned, hearing the front door shut.  
"Hmm? Oh, yeah all good"  
Rhydian watched her as she made her way round the house, tidying Destiny's toys as she went.  
"Maddy?" he began taking a deep breath.  
"Mmm?"  
"If the thing with Alric is stressing you out, you can talk to me" he finished half heartedly.  
Maddy snapped her head round to face him, her eyes narrowing.  
"What's Tom said?" she demanded.

Rhydian was surprised by her reaction, and stumbled back to avoid her gaze.  
"Nothing, out of the ordinary" he bluffed before sidling out to check on Destiny.


	3. Tension In The Pack

Emma and Daniel exchanged a look over the dinner table. Maddy and Rhydian had brought Destiny over for Sunday lunch, and the atmosphere had been tense ever since they'd arrived.

"Can you pass us the gravy?" Maddy asked, her eyes boring into Rhydian, who refused to look up.  
He slowly reached out, his fingers wrapping round the handle of the jug as he lifted it over to her.  
"Thanks."  
He grunted in reply, before forking a mouthful of vegetables into his mouth with a grimace.

Noticing this, Daniel swiftly offered his son in law the plate of meat, which was gratefully accepted and devoured.

Emma, catching the look on her daughter's face sighed and put down her cutlery.  
"Alright you two what's going on here?"

Destiny looked between her parents, letting her spoonful of peas tip back onto the plate.

Rhydian coughed and tried to discreetly gesture to her.  
Emma raised an eyebrow, but picked up her cutlery again without another word.

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Maddy watched Destiny clamber up the old oak tree at the bottom of her parents garden.  
With a sigh she turned, coming face to face with Emma.  
"Alright lady, tell me why things have turned sour between the two of you"  
"Long story" Maddy grumbled  
"Well, we have until the world ends"  
Rolling her eyes, Maddy followed her Mother back through to the kitchen where her Father and Rhydian were waiting.

"So who's first?" Daniel asked leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.  
Rhydian glanced at his wife, anxiously licking his lips he began.  
"Maddy's hiding stuff from me"  
"No I'm not!" the woman cried in surprise  
"Tom tells me you're worried about Alric, you tell me you're not! Who am I meant to believe!"  
"Err me. I'm your wife!"  
"Wait wait Alric?" Emma demanded backtracking.

Maddy groaned, allowing her forehead to hit the table.  
"Maddy and Destiny bumped into him the other day, in the woods" Rhydian murmured "He's looking for Jana"

He turned to Maddy, his tone softening.  
"I just want to know what you said that at least made Tom _think _you were worried" he pleaded  
She sighed, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.  
"I can't explain. It doesn't sound right"

The feeling of three pairs of eyes watching her, broke Maddy down and she swallowed hard before speaking.  
"I feel...Drawn, to Alric" she told them slowly.

Rhydian frowned "What do you mean, drawn?"  
"That's just it. I don't know how!"  
Emma glanced at Daniel out the corner of her eye and he quickly shook his head before drawing his attention back to the conversation at hand.

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"Are you and Mummy going to split up?"  
Rhydian was shocked at his daughters words.  
He'd come outside to check on her shortly after Maddy's revelation, and decided he quite liked the peace and quiet of the garden.

Destiny hopped down from the tree and looked up at him with big brown eyes.  
Sighing, Rhydian crouched down and held out his arms, which she willingly rushed into.  
"Mummy and I are fine" he promised, gently kissing the top of her head.  
"Then why do you keep shouting at each other?"  
Rhydian couldn't help but laugh "Because we're married, I'm pretty sure it's in the vows somewhere."

Destiny frowned clearly confused, as her Father lifted her onto his hip and carried her back inside.  
"Ready to go?" Maddy asked holding out a jacket to her daughter who nodded and turned to hug her grandparents.

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"She thinks we're going to split up" Rhydian whispered, coming up behind Maddy as she watched Destiny sleep from the doorway.

"Are we?" Maddy asked pulling the door shut, and walking back down the hallway.  
"Why would you even say that?"  
She sighed collapsing onto the sofa.  
"You've hardly said two words to me since we got back from lunch"  
Rhydian paused before taking a seat beside her.  
"I'm just confused" he admitted "You say you're drawn to Alric...but you don't know how"  
"I'm as confused as you are" Maddy rubbed her forehead with a groan.

Rhydian paused "Are You drawn to him...in that way?"  
"Definately not! He's older than me Dad!"  
Maddy smiled slightly as Rhydian began to laugh.  
"I'm sorry, you know, for pushing you to tell me" he said finally.  
Maddy nodded "I know, I'm sorry too"  
Rhydian grinned, wrapping her in a hug.

Destiny, watching quietly from the doorway, grinned too before skipping back to bed happy.


	4. Approached

"Thanks for this Shan" Maddy sighed watching Destiny dart up and down the front path.  
"No problem" the woman beamed "You know I'll always help"  
Maddy nodded "I know he got her to school on Friday, but Rhydian's still freaking about Alric. If I didn't ask you, then she'd never get there"

"Overprotective Dads 'ey?" Shannon chuckled stepping off the front step "What can you do?"  
Maddy smiled and waved goodbye before shutting the front door.

"She get off okay?"  
Maddy spun round to find Rhydian at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Yeah, fine"  
He nodded and wandered to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"Tom's coming round later, said he wanted help with something or other" Maddy called from the living room "About half two-ish"  
"Cool" Rhydian called back, flicking the switch so the water would boil.  
He popped his head round the door  
"Want one?"  
Maddy nodded with a grateful smile.

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"Knock knock?" Tom called, poking his head through the open front door.  
"Hey Tom" Rhydian greeted from his spot at the kitchen table.  
The man frowned "Why was the door open? I would've thought, what with everything going on, you two would be tight on security"  
Rhydian laughed "Yeah, well, Maddy's been baking, it was that or get smoked to death"

Maddy, who was stood by the oven turned and flung the tea towel at him.  
"Oy you, any more wisecracks and you can forget about dinner!" she warned teasingly.

Tom smirked and took a seat beside Rhydian, pulling out a stack of papers.  
"Oh yeah, what was it you needed help with?" Maddy questioned drawing up another chair.  
"Shannon wants me to take care of the bills, it's just, all these numbers!"  
Rhydian and Maddy exchanged a look before bursting out laughing.

"What?" Tom demanded, slightly annoyed.  
Rhydian ruffled his hair "Don't worry mate, we'll help you with your adding" he said with a wink.

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Maddy checked her watch  
"Shan will be picking Destiny up by now"  
Tom and Rhydian grunted, both engrossed in the work still.

Maddy rolled her eyes and picked up the three coffee mugs, carrying them to the sink.  
A figure at the garden gate caught her gaze, and she leant forward for a better look.  
"Shan?" she murmured as the figure stumbled down the front path clumsily.

Maddy rushed to open the front door, getting there just in time for Shannon to tumble into her arms.  
"Shannon!" she cried, trying to keep her friend upright.  
The two at the table looked up, immediately jumping to their feet.

"Shannon what's happened?" Rhydian questioned, helping Tom sit her on the sofa  
"Al-Al-Alric" she stuttered, her hands shaking through fear and cold.

"Did he hurt you?" Tom demanded, crouching down in front of the woman  
Shannon shook her head.  
"What did he say?" Maddy asked quietly.

"He-He said he knew I knew where Jana was, and that if I didn't tell him..."  
She broke off, taking deep gulps of air.  
Maddy rested a hand on her shoulder "Relax Shan, you're safe now, you're with us"  
"If I didn't tell him, I'd regret it...He had me by the throat I couldn't fight back!"  
"So he did hurt you!"  
"Tom not now" Rhydian sighed, straightening up and rubbing the back of his neck.

"What did you say?" Maddy pushed  
"Nothing, I don't know where Jana is. None of us do!"  
Tom nodded "Well, at least you hadn't already picked Destiny up" he said brightly.

Maddy and Rhydian both snapped their heads to look at each other before glancing to the clock on the wall. It was 15 minutes since the school day had ended.

"I'm on it" Rhydian said grimly, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.  
Tom, noticing the worried look on Maddy's face, stood and rubbed her arm.  
"She'll be fine Mads, he wouldn't hurt her" he soothed.  
Although that was uncertain.


	5. Disappearance

Rhydian's feet pounded against the gravel below him as he sprinted up the street.

"Destiny?" he yelled, skidding to a halt outside the school gates "Destiny?"  
"Are you alright sir?"  
Rhydian spun round to see a woman holding a box of workbooks steady.  
"No, my-my daughter, she's gone"

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"Where are we going?" a tired Destiny questioned as she hopped over a broken tree stump.  
"To find your Mum and Dad"  
"What about Aunty Shannon, she's meant to be picking me up today"  
"Well not anymore."

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Rhydian sighed in frustration as he stood outside the headmasters office.  
"Just like old times" he muttered shoving his hands in his pockets just as the door opened.

"Now what seems to be the problem Rhydian?" Mr Jefferies asked, gesturing him inside.  
"Destiny's gone, she was supposed to wait for Shannon to pick her up, but she was slightly..delayed"  
Jefferies frowned "Right, so what we have here is a missing child"  
"I didn't say that" Rhydian snapped "I just want to know if she was seen leaving with anyone"  
Jefferies frowned again "Why would she? When you say Shannon was on her way"

Before Rhydian's temper could boil over, the door opened and a woman scuttled in holding a post-it.  
"Destiny Morris was collected by her uncle at the end of school"  
With that she departed, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Rhydian felt his heart plummet. Destiny had no nearby uncles, apart from Tom, who was with them anyway.

"Alric" he murmured before standing suddenly and darting from the room.

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"What do we do?" Maddy panicked, gripping the phone tighter "How are we meant to find her?"  
Shannon looked at Tom who shrugged before returning his gaze to his best friend.  
Maddy sighed and hung up, falling back onto the sofa behind.

"What's happening?" Shannon demanded, taking a seat beside her.  
"Destiny was picked up by her 'uncle' at the end of school" Maddy murmured letting her head fall forward into her hands.

There was a confused silence in the room.

"It's Alric" she told them simply.


	6. Uncle

"I followed every scent in the forest, not one of them was hers"  
Rhydian slumped into a chair before looking up at his wife across the table.

The house seemed eerily silent without Destiny, and now Tom and Shannon had left too.

"We'll find her...Won't we?" Maddy whispered, her long hair falling forward as she tilted her head downwards.  
Rhydian reached out over the table and took her hand "Oh we'll find her, and once we do. Alric's a dead wolf"

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"There it is!" Destiny cried pointing down the hill at her house, dimly lit up in the darkness.  
"Are you sure they're home?"  
The girl nodded "But I'll be in trouble for not waiting" she frowned, hanging back slightly.  
"Not when I'm with you"

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Maddy sighed and banged her coffee mug onto the table.  
"We'll have to call the police"  
Rhydian rubbed the bridge of his nose "We can't turn round and say that our wolf cub had been captured by another – potentially dangerous wolf can we?"  
"We can't do nothing!"

The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house, and Maddy; already on her feet after her outburst, stormed off to open it.

"Mummy!"  
It took the woman several seconds to realise that her daughter was stood in front of her. She then bent down, lifting the 8 year old into her arms, pulling her as close as possible.

At the sound of the oh so familiar voice, Rhydian too was at the door in an instant, attempting to hug his daughter while she was still in Maddy's arms.

"Where have you been?" he demanded after a few minutes "Why weren't you at school?"  
"Uncle picked me up" Destiny smiled proudly  
"What uncle?" Maddy asked doubtfully, preparing for the worst answer

"Me"


End file.
